Search - King's College Choir :: Favorite Xmas Carols

Boris Ord's real first name was Bernhard; his friends called him Boris because he loved the Mussorgsky opera Boris Godunov so much. From 1929 to 1958, he was organist and choir director at Cambridge University's famed King's College. Not only was Ord unusual for his pioneering efforts in the early music movement, but he was also one of the first "cathedral" musicians to emphasize choral singing over organ playing. Under his leadership, the choir at King's became known far beyond the shores of England, and many recordings were made, beginning in the late 1940s. This disc features Christmas music, works by English Renaissance composers, S.S. Wesley's "Cast me not away," and Howells's "Collegium Regale Magnificat." Naturally, the sound, transferred from 78s and tape originals, is more than a bit rough in places, but the essence of these classic Ord performances is intact. --David Vernier